Harry Potter and the Creature in the Forest
by KitsuneAlexandra
Summary: Was 'The First Year'. What if Harry took Draco's hand on the train in first year? What if he became friends with Draco instead of Ron? This story is back in first year, only Harry has a different set of friends, and a very different adventure.
1. The Beginning

Harry Potter and the Creature in the Forest

  
  
**_Disclaimer: Okay. This is Harry Potter, obviously. This fic starts out on the train to Hogwarts right before first year. Specifically, it starts just before Draco asks Harry to be his friend. The first bit belongs to J.K. Rowling. Anything after "I can help you there." is mine. Anything before that isn't. Enough said. Oh, the characters aren't mine, either! Please R&R!_**  
  
_Chapter One: The Beginning_

Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told my all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He reached out, hoping that Harry would accept. Harry smiled, and took his hand, shaking it. Ron stared.

"Harry?" he asked. Harry turned to face him, a slight smirk on his face.

"You know, you've been helpful, Weasley, but Malfoy here is right. I would _hate_ to make friends with the wrong sort of wizards. It just wouldn't do. You can keep the candy, though. My contribution to you and your family." With that, he, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle walked out of the compartment, leaving a startled Ron behind.


	2. New Friends

_Chapter Two: New Friends_

"I cannot believe that you accepted my friendship, Potter." Draco said. They had just sat down in their compartment. 

"It wasn't any big deal. What _I_ can't believe is that people actually want to be my friends. I've never had a friend before...and call me Harry."

Draco's jaw fell open. "No friends? Really? Then again, I've never had any _real_ friends, with the exception of one or two, so I can see where you're coming from...and if I can call you Harry, then you can call me Draco."

Harry smiled. "Okay...Draco." Draco smiled back. Suddenly, a pug-faced girl ran in and threw herself on top of Draco.

"Draco, how are you? They say Harry Potter's in here...is it you?" the girl asked.

Harry blinked. "Er-"

"Pansy!" a boy called. A tall, black-haired boy ran in. "There you are! Hey, Draco. How've ya been? Its been awhile...Pansy, get off of him! You know he isn't str-Who're you?" The boy had turned his attention to Harry.

Harry stood up. "Hello, I'm Harry Potter. Who are you?" he asked.

The boys mouth dropped open slightly. "H-H-Harry Potter? As in, The-Boy-Who-Lived?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "Blimey. I can't believe it..." He blinked as if he just noticed what he was saying. He grinned sheepishly. "So sorry. I'm Blaise, by the way. Blaise Zabini. Nice to meet you." He shook Harry's hand. Pansy stood up, smiling. She reached out to shake Harry's hand as well.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson. Nice to meet you, Potter."

"Please, call me Harry." he said with a smile.

"Alright, Harry." she let go of his hand and sat next to Draco. Harry resumed his seat accross from Draco, and Blaise sat next to him. Crabbe and Goyle left to go get more food. They talked until they got to Hogwarts.


	3. The Sorting

_Chapter Three: The Sorting_

The first years followed Hagrid accross the lake in the boats. Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Blaise shared a boat. Hagrid didn't say one word to Harry, for which he was grateful. All the way there, Draco and Harry laughed while Blaise tryed to stop Pansy from jumping Draco. After they finished the ride, Hagrid led them up stone steps that led to the front door. There, they were greeted by Professor McGonagall.

"First years, follow me." she commanded, turning and leading them into a room. When they got there, she turned to face them. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Soon, we will enter the Great Hall. There, you will be sorted into one of four houses. The houses are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. Each house has a history, and each house has produced wonderful witches and wizards.

"Your houses here are like your family. You have classes with those in your house, you will sleep in one of your houses dormitories, eat at your house table, and spend free time in your house common room.

"What you do here has effects on your house points. For triumphs, you will gain points. Any rulebreaking loses points. At the end of the year, house ponits will be added and compared with those of the other houses. The house with the most points gets the house cup.

"Now, then. Let us go into the Great Hall so you can be sorted, shall we?" And she strode into the room, the first years following behind her.

In the room, there were four long tables. On a pedstal of sorts sat a smaller table. In front of that table stood a stool with a hat on it. Everyone stared at the hat, so the first years did too. It opened a rip that it used as a mouth and started to sing. (A/N: This is the song from the first book. I am giving credit to the author, not me, okay? On with the story!)

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
__But don't judge on what you see,  
__I'll eat myself if you can find  
__A smarter hat than me._

_  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
__Your top hats sleek and tall,  
__For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
__And I can cap them all._

_  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
__The Sorting Hat can't see,  
__So try me on and I will tell you  
__Where you ought to be._

_   
  
You might belong in Gryffindor,_   
_Where dwell the brave at heart,  
__Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
__Set Gryffindors apart;__  
_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_   
_Where they are just and loyal,  
__Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
__And unafraid of toil;  
_

_  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
__If you've a ready mind,  
__Where those of wit and learning,  
__Will always find their kind;_

_  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
__You'll make your real friends,  
__Those cunning folk use any means  
__To achieve their ends._

_  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!_   
_And don't get in a flap!  
__You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
__For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

_  
_There was silence for a moment, then applause sounded throughout the hall. Draco turned to Harry and smiled.

"This should be quite simple. I _do_ hope that you are in Slytherin with me," he whispered.

"I hope so too," Harry whispered back. Professor McGonagall walked over to the Sorting Hat. She picked up a scroll that was sitting next to it.

"When I call your name, come here and try on the hat!" she called out. She read the first name off. "Abbott, Hannah!" It continued, each person going and sitting at their table after they were sorted. Crabbe and Goyle were both sorted into Slytherin. Suddenly, Draco's name was called. "Malfoy, Draco!" Professor McGonagall called out.

He walked calmly towards the front of the room. Sitting down, the hat barely touched his head before yelling, "Slytherin!" Draco walked off, smiling at Harry as he passed him. Harry smiled weakly back.

Pansy became a Slytherin as well. A while after that, his own name was called. The hall suddenly had whispers going through it.

"Harry Potter?" someone whispered. "_The_ Harry Potter?"

Harry walked up to the Sorting Hat and put it on his head. They conversed for a while, before the hat finally made its decision. "Slytherin!" it yelled. The hall became nearly silent. Only Draco, Pansy, and Blaise clapped.


	4. Dinner

_Chapter Four: Dinner_  
  
Harry walked quickly over to Draco. Only he, Blaise, and Pansy were cheering, but they started late, not expecting the Boy-Who-Lived to be a Slytherin. Some second and third year Slytherins whispered about evil curses that would happen to anyone who spoke to The-Boy-Who-Would-Not-Die, a.k.a., The-Boy-Who-Lived. The other tables were whispering about him too.  
  
"I'll bet he gets along horribly, then comes running back to us, what do you say, Fred?" a red-haired boy asked loudly.  
  
"I reckon that you're right, George," Fred, another red-haired boy who looked exactly like the first, responded, equally as loud. Dumbledore stood up, and cleared his throat. All the students stopped gossiping(though there really was nothing to gossip about, so it was more like...spreading rumors? asking questions? something like that.) and looked up at him.  
  
"Another year is here! Soon, you shall start your learning. Tonight, your Head of House will hand out your schedules, so you can prepare somewhat. Now, for the feast! Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" he shouted.  
  
Harry looked around, and noticed that there was now food on the previously empty table. He looked at Draco, who shrugged.  
  
"Don't ask me, Harry. Potatoes?" When Harry nodded, Draco passed him a boiled potato. (A/N: I've never had one, are they good?)  
  
"Thanks Draco."

The rest of the meal passed in silence.  
  
**_A/N: So, is this formatting any better? I am sorry about the former formatting, and I have an explanation. See, it is impossible to see certain pages on my computer. So, I didn't realize that I messed up until after my computer crashed and I went on a school computer. As my computer is currently dead, I can only post at certain times, and only from a school computer. Except for right now. I stole into the other room, and am currently on that computer.  
  
Anyway, what d'ya think? Review please! Oh, and as I have already stated, I am no longer going to write the disclaimer in the beginning, or at all for that matter. If you want to read one, look at previous ones. There will be nothing in the beginning unless I add a new character and need to tell you about them. However, I have no doubts that that will not happen. Er, well, it won't happen, I think...I don't really like adding new characters in myself, or at least the idea of trying it. I have never done it, so...I might. If I do, don't be too harsh. It will be my first time, after all.  
  
Oh, and just so you know, this chapter was just a filler of sorts, it doesn't really advance the plot, so...yeah. In other words, it's just there to be there. No other purpose for this story whatsoever.  
  
Um, I was wondering if anyone had a certain type of fic they want to read. I want to try a fic that wasn't thought of by me, but isn't a copy of anyone else. I mean, I'd like to try something that I know that people will like. So, if you have an idea, put in what kind of genre, couples(if any), rating(so I will know how far I can push it), stuff like that. On second thought, not the ratings. I want to do something on my own. Er, well...argh! Sorry, but I am not very eloquent, and I seem to be doing worse than usual. Please think about it, and let me know what you want to read!  
  
Love,  
  
Alexandra and Aly_**


	5. Parseltongue

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Not KitsuneAlexandra's. None of this belongs to either of us.**  
  
**_A/N: Sorry I haven't written any of this story since I got it. School and such. Oh, I am MikoAri now. Just so you know. And by the way, I am on Summer Vacation now, so I have more time to write all of my stories, including this one. You'll notice I changed the title. It sounds more like an actual story now, like one of the actual books. Have you notcied all of them are Harry Potter and the...?_**  
  
The feast took forever, it seemed. Draco and Harry kept quiet, as that was what everyone else was doing. After the feast, the Slytherin prefect Marcus Flint took them to the Slytherin Common Room.  
  
"_Idiotic Lions_!" he said clearly. Many people giggled, realizing what it meant. He led them into the room. The first years gathered around him. The rules were explained. Then the older ones (fifth, sixth, and seventh years) cornered Harry, wands out. Harry, because he didn't know any magic, had to rely on instict alone. Pansy had gone to bed with her friend Millicent, as had Blaise. Draco had gone to the bathroom. This left Harry alone.  
  
"You thought you could come here and learn out secrets in the hopes of killing us, didn't you? But you won't be able to, because we'll kill you first!" hissed a sixth year girl. She raised her wand and started to shout a spell. "Saverus Demnicus Alve-"  
  
Harry cut her off. His wand wasn't with him, and he regretted it. But he would have to make do. He remembered how he had let the snake out, and how he had gotten Dudley stuck in the cage. He concentrated, and, feeling power surging through him, yelled, "Aristh!" (not a real spell. Not Latin either. I don't know any.)  
  
The girl froze. Her wand clattered to the floor, but no one noticed. People stared at the frozen girl to the small boy in front of them. Power still seeped through him.  
  
Marcus backed up. He tripped over something, and realized it was his pet snake, Salazar. Draco had, unnoticed, come out of the bathroom.  
  
"_Idiot boy. He is always tripping over me!_" complained Salazar. Harry blinked, and walked forward.  
  
"I wouldn't do that, Harry. That snake is evil! It sent Marianna Lesing to the Hospital Wing last year. I'm Leanna by the way. Sorry about that, we had to make sure you were worthy, what with you being Harry Potter and all. Seriously, back off. Salazar will bite you."  
  
Harry smiled at the girl. "Hello, Leanna. Don't worry. He won't bite me." Harry took another step forward. "_Will you?_"  
  
Everyone gasped. The snake looked up.  
  
"_You speak my language?_" Salazar asked, slithering up to Harry. Everyone was staring, and Draco was walking forward, towards his friend.  
  
"_Yes. Doesn't everyone?_"  
  
"_No. Not many people do. I have never met another person who did. Ever. Please, call me Elsrith. The idiot humans call me Salazar, but it is not my name. Can you please tell them that?_"  
  
Harry laughed. "_Sure. My name is Harry, by the way. Harry Potter._" He turned to the humans to find them pale and shaking. "Um...are you guys okay?"  
  
"Harry! Why didn't you tell me you were a Parselmouth?" Draco asked, awed.  
  
"Um, I didn't realize. I mean, I thought it was normal or something..." he shrugged. "Oh, Marcus, he says to tell you his name isn't Salazar. It's Elsrith."  
  
"Okay. Thanks. Wow! How did you-er, how long have you-I mean, wow! You can speak Parseltongue!" Marcus said, excited. Everyone was gathering around him again, only this time they weren't trying to kill him. Even the ones who had gone to bed and heard the commotion came out. Most of them stayed up talking to Harry until 2:30 in the morning.**  
**

**_A/N: What did you think? Please review!_**

**_I have an announcement to make. In my next chapter I am going to put a quote from a Harry Potter book in. I would have in this chapter, but it is pretty much all about being a Parselmouth and such, so it would be obvious that it was from book 2, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Or CoS for short. I'll write some stuff to go with it, it is a sort of contest, after all. See 'A Little Fun' by KitsuneAlexandra, chapter 3, and look at the A/N. You'll understand._**

**__**

**_Tell me how I did! This wasn't my story originally, and I would like to know how you think I'm taking it so far. Please read my other stories! Thank you!_**

**__**

**_-MikoAri_**


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